I have never had the hots for Varun Dhawan- Taapsee Pannu

There is something about Taapsee Pannu. Her name is unconventional but it only adds to her freshness. Taapsee is unabashedly over-confident, brash, sexy, and if you ever dare to call her a tomboy, you might end up with a bloody nose – some guys from her school can vouch for that. The young actress is a household name in the Telugu and Tamil industry and now she has a successful debut in Hindi films with the remake of 1981 romcom Chashme Baddoor. Director David Dhawan has trained her well. So much so, that 25-year-old Taapsee exudes a believable confidence that she’s here to achieve big things. Her breezy laugh reminds you of the gorgeous Preity Zinta. Taapsee is candid when she says the success of the film was unexpected, “It has been too good to be true. My family and friends and even those who hardly know me have sent me congratulatory messages and have called up to say that the character was tailor made for me.” Long legs, charming smile and self belief are a nice combination. Meet Taapsee...

Look who’s confident

Chashme Baddoor’s success has brought Taapsee limitless excitement limitless. The fact that the youngest and the oldest members of her family have watched and liked the film has been her biggest reward. “My six-year-old cousin and my 85-year-old grandmother loved the film. During the intermission my little cousin asked his mother, ‘Should we take Taapsee didi back home if she is done with her work?’” She takes it as her best compliment yet. Taapsee had faith in her Hindi debut film. It didn’t bother her that her director David Dhawan, had gone six years without a hit. “I always see the glass half full. David sir had a point to prove – he’s still as good. Chashme... is such a positive film. Though I never imagined it would be this big a hit,” says she. While the film’s success has led to film offers aplenty, Taapsee is in no hurry to sign new projects. She wants to be part of films that offer her meaty roles and central characters. “My next film should be a step ahead. My films should be for posterity. People should remember them after I’m gone. Like the films of legendary actors. ”

Smart’s in her genes

Leave it to the girl with the brains to figure out the equations of success in the industry. Taapsee believes a smart actor is a successful actor. “You have to be patient. People can just walk by you without noticing you if you refuse to change.” She is a software engineer, a simple middle-class Punjabi kudi, but she has something not many actresses can boast of – a staggering IQ and love for mathematics. Believe it or not, Taapsee could’ve been a hot app developer. But she left it behind, “I designed – with two other classmates – an iPhone application called ‘Fontswap’.” FYI Fontswap is now in its 2.0 version and has been downloaded 8 million times. She reveals more, “It was a college project. But I had to leave it behind because I didn’t want to end up with a 9 to 5 job.” Interestingly, Taapsee loves to revisit CAT (Common Admission Test) books for some math puzzle solving. Before you think she’s a total geek, Taapsee was a popular TV ad model and worked with some mega brands. She even won Miss Beautiful Skin and Fresh Face of the year at the Miss India 2008 pageant.

Career hopper

She had to tap into her dramatic and dynamic side which was feeling tied down in a career as ‘monotonous’ as modelling. She says, “I couldn’t see myself walking the ramp. I get bored with things easily. Acting allows you to be someone different every day. I have become a doctor, a choreographer, an archaeologist in one lifetime. That’s the kick in this profession.” Taapsee had a diverse choice in career. It was throw up between ramp, acting and being a software engineer at Infosys. “I’m glad I picked up acting and worked in National Award winning films like Aadukalam.”

Ready-to-cook actresses anyone?

Owing to her strong analytical skills, Taapsee has some wonderful insight into the world of showbiz. About the trend of South actresses enjoying new-found popularity in Hindi films she says, “Today everybody wants ready-to-cook things. Now the directors want actresses who are already trained, on whom they don’t have to work from scratch.” Taapsee was trained by the best in the South. She reveals, “The Telugu and Tamil industries gave me big directors, actors, production houses right from my debut. My debut was under Raghavendra Rao’s direction who’s launched icons like Sridevi and Jaya Prada. He’d be the ‘Heroine Man’, if there ever was a term like that.”The actress is grateful to her South fans who more than revere her presence. She says, “My fans treat me like a Goddess down South. Since I started working down South I had to learn the language. I’d learn it in my free time. That’s the best way I could do justice to my job and thank my fans. There are people down South who’ve been in the industry for 10 years but can’t speak Telugu or Tamil. I’ve been there just two years and I do my own dubbing. I’d prefer if they treated me like a normal person.” The practical girl reveals, “I bought a house in Hyderabad only after I had at least four films in hand, when I knew I was safe there. That’s why I don’t want to shift to Mumbai till I sign more films,” she says.

Accidental coupledom

Even the gods need love but Taapsee’s had a bit of a misadventure with the delicate matters of the heart. She was linked with her director David Dhawan’s son, Varun much before her film’s release. Apparently the two were spotted together having coffee at a five star suburban hotel in Mumbai. Taapsee denies any rumours, “Varun and I met just once other during the shoot of Chashme Baddoor. Next we met by chance at the Marriott Hotel in Juhu. We were both on separate work visits. We bumped into each other and decided to have a coffee. The next morning I saw it all over the papers. It was funny because something like this hasn’t happened to me in the South. There is no paparazzi vying for your pictures there. I’m getting used to being linked up.” She adds, “Varun is a nice guy. We are of the same age and we gel like buddies. We’ve never had the hots for each other.”

Love shouldn’t be boring

The actress blushes at the mere mention of the man of her dreams. She admits she’s single but she knows what she wants in her man. She says, “My man should respect me and I’ll do the same. Then comes trust and love. I’m happily single but I’m not sure if I’m ready to date someone. It’s only on occasions like Valentine’s Day that I feel bad because I see couples going around and exchanging gifts. I have never got any gifts on Valentine’s Day.” Surprisingly, there isn’t a long list of suitors at her doorstop. “I believe guys are scared of approaching me. Earlier, I probably didn’t look as good as I do today. Now people don’t talk to me thinking ‘she is a big star’, or ‘she will slap me and walk out on me’. No one has ever proposed to me in a filmi style. It has always been over messages or a call. Boring stuff. I’d love it if my man would go down on his knees.”

No marriage, only live-in

She might be romantic but she’s not the tamed shrew. Taapsee is not too confident about the institution of marriage. “Getting married is difficult to imagine right now. For now, live-in is equivalent to getting married. Though living with a person for my whole life is difficult to imagine. I don’t mind a live-in relationship but I won’t do anything against my family’s wishes. I will take their consent first,” says she.

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